For a considerable number of years, the desirability of identifying cattle has been recognized. For many years cattle have been branded to show ownership. More recently the use of markings of one type or another for the purpose of identifying the individual animals has become more important. In some instances, this has been done by tattooing the ear of the animal with individual numbers or other indicia so that each animal may be recognized from the others. Individual metal tags have for many years been clipped to the ears or otherwise anchored thereto. Obviously, if such tags get caught in wire fencing, underbrush or the like, the ear may be seriously damaged and the identification may be lost or destroyed.
In recent years the use of identifying tags made of resilient plastic has become quite common. These tags have the advantage of being legible from a greater distance than tags of most sorts, cause less damage to the animal, and are somewhat less likely to be accidentally removed than the metal tags previously used. One such tag which has been produced in some volume comprises an identifying panel which is marked to provide the identification, the upper portion of this panel being tapered for connection with a relatively narrow neck. This neck connects the identification panel with an anchoring head. The anchoring head is usually of generally triangular form having shoulders which extend laterally from opposite sides of the neck. The identification panel, the relatively narrow neck portion, and the anchoring head are usually of uniform thickness. To insert the tag, the anchoring head is rolled into tubular form of a diameter usually substantially equal to the width of the neck portion. This anchoring head is then inserted through a slit in the ear of the animal. After insertion, the anchoring head is allowed to unroll, leaving the neck extending through the slit in the ear and held from disengagement from the slit by the relatively wide identification panel and the relatively wide laterally extending shoulders on the anchoring head.
To facilitiate the insertion, a hollow tubular tool or instrument is provided having a pointed and flattened end which is sharpened for insertion through the ear. The tubular body is designed to accommodate the tubularly rolled anchoring head. The tool is forced completely through the ear and then withdrawn from the anchoring head to permit this head to unroll. While it is possible to insert the tag without this tool or instrument, the operation is somewhat difficult due to the fact that the head must be held in rolled condition during insertion. Probably the greatest objection to this type of tag is the difficulty experienced by the rancher in rolling up the anchoring head for insertion into the tubular instrument. The head cannot be very flexible, as this facilitates accidental disengagement. At the same time, the less flexible the head is made, the greater is the difficulty in rolling it up. As constructed, the head is quite stiff to insure retention in the ear. Accordingly in actual practice it is quite difficult to roll it up small enough for insertion into the instrument.